Diane Oberg | Article Author |

23 May 2024

Council Confronting Lingering Questions in Final Budget Review

by Diane Oberg

After its final budget worksession on Wednesday, May 15, it appears that the Greenbelt City Council has two main questions to answer before it can adopt a budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025), which begins July 1. These are: … Read More

1 May 2024

Budget Proposal Holds Line On Public Works Spending

by Diane Oberg

City Manager Josué Salmerón’s budget proposal calls for a 2.7 percent increase in the Public Works budget, with expenditures increasing from $4.586 million in the adopted budget for this fiscal year to $4.711 million in FY25, which begins on July … Read More

11 Apr 2024

City Budget Stays in Bounds; Though in FY26, Maybe Not

by Diane Oberg

In presenting his budget proposal to the Greenbelt City Council on March 25, City Manager Josué Salmerón had good news. Despite earlier projections of a multimillion-dollar budget deficit in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 which begins July 1, the budget … Read More

3 Apr 2024

Staffing Issue Gets Council Meeting Off to a Hot Start

by Diane Oberg

The March 25 meeting of the Greenbelt City Council got off to a hot start with former city human resources director Mary Johnson accusing the city manager of violating city code. In addition, council approved several contracts, received an update … Read More

14 Feb 2024

Council Urged to Take a Step Back in Planning City Hall

by Diane Oberg

At its February 5 worksession, the Greenbelt City Council heard a presentation from architect David Whaples, based on work Isabelle Gournay and he did, urging council to take a broader view on replacing the Municipal Building. Gournay is an architect … Read More

7 Feb 2024

Recycling Centers Drowning In Rampant Illegal Dumping

by Diane Oberg

The city’s three recycling centers are being inundated with large volumes of illegal dumping ranging from nonresidential volumes of oil, hazardous materials (including hydrochloric acid), furniture, construction debris and more. This is costing the city a lot of money in … Read More

21 Dec 2023

Council Hears Request from PSAC To Review Officer-Involved Shootings

by Diane Oberg

On Monday, December 4, the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) met with the Greenbelt City Council for a periodic review. After a brief discussion of the group’s activities since their last meeting with council two years ago, Mayor Emmett Jordan … Read More

16 Nov 2023

Water Tower Rehabilitation Set to Begin by Next Summer

by Diane Oberg

On Monday, October 30 representatives from WSSC Water (WSSC) updated the Greenbelt City Council on the Standpipe Rehabilitation Project expected to start next year. Councilmembers and nearby residents felt “blindsided,” in the words of Mayor Emmett Jordan earlier this year, … Read More

11 Oct 2023

Liquor License, Purchases Occupy Council on Sept. 26

by Diane Oberg

In addition to reviewing an already-approved liquor license application by the Greenbelt Cinema, it was contract time at the September 26 regular meeting of the Greenbelt City Council. Council approved contracts or purchases of four shade structures for Greenbelt Station, … Read More

5 Oct 2023

Council Finalizes One Ballot Question, Rejects Another

by Diane Oberg

At its September 26 regular meeting the Greenbelt City Council finalized the question to appear on the ballot for the November 7 council election and rejected a proposed second question. It also received an update from the City Board of … Read More